Such sad news about the loss of Steve Jobs last week. I can’t imagine that any entrepreneur or business owner could fail to be inspired by his vision and leadership.
One of the things that inspired me most about him was his call for each of us to embrace our individuality and not be afraid to stand out in the pursuit of excellence – something I need to keep in mind as I step out of my comfort zone and prepare to launch Tots Play to a wider audience in the coming months. In his Stanford Commencement Address in 2005 he talked about how following his “curiosity and intuition” as well as “following his heart” had given him the ability and freedom to create the many products and companies we know him for, forever changing the world of technology, communication and entertainment.
For babies and toddlers their natural instinct is to explore, create and discover, and they know nothing other than the desire to follow their “curiosity and intuition” in all that they do. As a parent you have a huge role in encouraging this process, and play time is one of the most important times that your child’s individuality and creativity can shine through. While it is important to be there to support them during play time, make sure you are not always taking the lead but spend some time letting your child direct the game without intervening – unless they invite you to play too of course.
By having a variety of activities on offer at Tots Play classes, one of the aims of the play programme is to recognise and encourage each child’s unique personality, allowing and honouring their choices around how they approach each activity and situation. From the babies exploring each different texture in the fabric box, to the toddlers moving between the slide and the building blocks each has their own approach, and it is always interesting to see the variety of ways that different children find to play with the same object of piece of equipment.
Encouraging our children’s unique and individual approach in this way helps them build the confidence to be themselves, exploring and creating their world by following their interests, and who knows what inspiring leaders of the future are being created in the process.
Playing to Win! 